Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, ch. 710-A § 6036
Waiver of provisions
Operative Text
Any provision, whether oral or written, in or pertaining to a lease or tenancy at will agreement whereby any provision of this chapter for the benefit of a tenant or members of the tenant's household is waived is against public policy and is void.
Under Maine law, 14 M.R.S. §§ 6031–6036, any clause in a lease or tenancy-at-will agreement—whether written or spoken—that attempts to strip away protections granted by this chapter to tenants or their household members is treated as legally void and unenforceable. The provision reflects a public-policy judgment that these tenant protections cannot be bargained away, regardless of what the parties may have agreed to. A waiver of these rights, even if signed or verbally acknowledged, carries no legal effect.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators subject to 14 M.R.S. §§ 6031–6036 generally ensure that their lease agreements and tenancy-at-will arrangements do not contain clauses that purport to have tenants give up the statutory protections established in this chapter. Including such a waiver provision—even informally or verbally—does not create an enforceable agreement and may signal broader compliance concerns. Compliant operators typically review lease language to confirm that no term contradicts or attempts to override the tenant-protective provisions of this chapter.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under 14 M.R.S. §§ 6031–6036, tenants and their household members retain the protections established by this chapter even if a lease or verbal agreement appears to waive them—such waivers are void as a matter of Maine public policy. If a landlord attempts to enforce a clause that purports to eliminate these rights, tenants may have grounds to raise the invalidity of that clause as a defense in a legal proceeding. Tenant-rights organizations in Maine can help individuals understand which specific protections fall under this chapter and what general options exist when a landlord relies on an unenforceable waiver.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 22, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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